Ants all around my potted triple king

[Christopher Dillman]

Suddenly appeared. Climbing up and into two of the palms. Also see evidence of them burrowing into soil.

So far palm looks okay. 

Recommendation for a palm-safe spray?

[MJSanDiego]

Hi! You could spray to kill the ants with any spray like Sevin, or Captain Jacks from Home Depot. All safe for oramentals, fruits and vegetables. But I would try to dig around and follow the ant line to see what the ants are after. It has to be something in the soil or roots somewhere. They don't eat palms but will eat things that are in the soil or roots like mealy bug sap, scale, aphids sap, etc. You just want to try to get to the root of the problem so the ants won't come back 

[Merlyn]

I never use sprays for ants, always a bait like Amdro.  I'd agree with MJ though, figure out why they are there and what they are going after.  If the palm is infested with aphids or mealybugs, for example, treat the aphids and the ants will go elsewhere.  Generally speaking ants are not a pest to be concerned with, but if they are "farming" aphids or mealybugs you'll probably need to kill the ants too.  For the most part the only ants I ever bait are fire ants. 

[Christopher Dillman]

9 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

.. for example, treat the aphids and the ants will go elsewhere..

To be safe, I could spray it for aphids and mealys. Any recommendations on a product? Thank you!

[Merlyn]

2 hours ago, Christopher Dillman said:

To be safe, I could spray it for aphids and mealys. Any recommendations on a product? Thank you!

I'd figure out what (if anything) the ants are going after.  Stuff that kills aphids and mealybugs won't do anything on spider mites.  And it could be something benign like springtails in the soil.  It should only take a few minutes to watch the ants and figure out why they are there.  Maybe they just like nesting in the bases of old fronds.  I usually find small black ants in the bases of old queen, foxtail and chinese palm fronds.

[Christopher Dillman]

3 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

Hi! You could spray to kill the ants with any spray like Sevin, or Captain Jacks from Home Depot. 

Is the Captain Jack's their 'Super Insecticidal Soap'? And a-ok to spray on palms?

[Tracy]

4 hours ago, Christopher Dillman said:

Suddenly appeared. Climbing up and into two of the palms. Also see evidence of them burrowing into soil.

So far palm looks okay. 

Recommendation for a palm-safe spray?

If you are concerned about chemicals around your kids the simple solution to try first is a combination.   Get a nozzle head designed for high pressure spray tp remove aphids and mealy bugs.  In Carlsbad, that is probably the issue.  Next treat the ants with  a bait where their nest originates. 

It is simple, relatively harmless and will likely resolve your situation.   Be assured that over time they both will return.  Unless you want to constantly want to use systematic treatment.  I don't but others may.

 

[MJSanDiego]

52 minutes ago, Christopher Dillman said:

Is the Captain Jack's their 'Super Insecticidal Soap'? And a-ok to spray on palms?

Absolutely.  It's organic and we use it on highly sensitive ornamental tropical plants called Hoyas and it's perfectly safe. It kills aphids, mealy bugs, scale, powdery mildew, spiders, earwigs, ants and more. You can spray into the soil

[Patrick]

If you wanted to go with a systemic look for something with Imidacloprid. Big box stores sell the stuff. I just treated a tree that the ants were putting aphids on. The label said it was for roses and I thought, "SO!!?? It's Imidicloprid!" 

 

Yeah, aphids are gone now...

[Christopher Dillman]

50 minutes ago, Patrick said:

If you wanted to go with a systemic look for something with Imidacloprid. Big box stores sell the stuff.

Interesting! So rookie me I entered that ingredient into the HomeDepot search box, and it returned with over two dozen products.

I do use that BioAdvanced Rose & Flower insect killer on my house plants and works like a charm. Would that work on outdoor palms?

[Patrick]

It's all the same stuff so yeah. It's just all about  figuring out the right amount for your size tree. Not sure how to figure that in your case. I've searched out and bought the actual stuff before. Name brand is Merit 2f but it's expensive. These days I figure chems are chems and I don't care who makes it as long as it's the right pesticide... That rose stuff is what I used- I had forgotten the brand. Blue bottle. It think I just did the mix they recommended in a 2 gallon watering can and dumped it on the roots. I think it was 1oz per gallon or something? Again, I forget lol

[Phoenikakias]

On 9/23/2024 at 7:08 PM, Patrick said:

If you wanted to go with a systemic look for something with Imidacloprid. Big box stores sell the stuff. I just treated a tree that the ants were putting aphids on. The label said it was for roses and I thought, "SO!!?? It's Imidicloprid!" 

 

Yeah, aphids are gone now...

I do not think, that imidacloprid is effective on sucking bugs.

[Merlyn]

3 hours ago, Phoenikakias said:

I do not think, that imidacloprid is effective on sucking bugs.

The neonicotinoids are one of the most effective systemics for sucking bugs like scale and aphids.  They are also blamed for bee colony collapse, though the research is questionable.  Essentially they looked at neonicotinoid use and did a simple correlation with colony collapse, but failed to look at the time of year it was applied, duration of systemic effect and the flowering/bee foraging times.  It's a classic example of "bad science."  Imadicloprid is highly effective against aphids, mealybugs, and most other scale insects.  It's not good against asian cycad scale, but Dinotefuran is.

[Harry’s Palms]

There usually ants around my garden . Some of the ants start swarming in great numbers , then I will spray some form of spray but it is temporary . I rarely see any scale or mealy bug but if I do , I use a soapy solution and manually remove the offenders. When I was looking for a spray , the fellow at my favorite nursery told ants are a healthy sign in a garden so don’t get too concerned . I do spray around door thresholds and windows every few months because when the weather turns warm or if it rains they want to come in the house! Harry

[Pankaj Rajpali]

Hi Christopher,

It sounds like the ants may have set up a nest in the soil or could be attracted to something like sap or pests (like aphids) on the palm. Here’s a safe, effective approach to manage them:
 

Palm-Safe Sprays:

• Neem Oil: Mix with water and spray on affected areas to repel ants and target pests.
• Mild Dish Soap Solution: Mix 1-2 tsp of dish soap per quart of water, spray on ants, and rinse leaves after a few hours.

Soil Treatment:

• Diatomaceous Earth: Sprinkle on soil to dehydrate ants.
• Cinnamon: Sprinkle on the soil to repel ants.

Prevention:

• Water thoroughly to disturb nests.
• Check for pests like aphids or scale that might attract ants.
  
  Thanks!

 

 

[Christopher Dillman]

On 9/22/2024 at 7:07 PM, Tracy said:

Next treat the ants with  a bait where their nest originates.

 

Willing to try that. What brand of outdoor bait would you recommend to use around palms?

[Looking Glass]

3 hours ago, Christopher Dillman said:

Willing to try that. What brand of outdoor bait would you recommend to use around palms?

In these parts, a tiny $3 bottle of liquid Terro is a necessity in every home.   A couple times a year little sugar ants make their way through some pinhole into the house.   A few drops placed near their trail...  do not disturb…. a few more drops on day 2-3 and the colony is wiped out.   

Outside, a smudge of $5 Combat Ant Gel the same way holds up better and seems to work just as well..  

Baits work well, especially for sugar-eating ants.  Let them feed in peace and distribute the bait through the colony.  

[Looking Glass]

Speak of the devil…..

 

[meridannight]

I hate ants. I know they don't eat my plants, but they are still a pest. One whose issue is in their numbers. Over here problems with them start because they constantly want to start new colonies. They come into the house and start building a colony in a dark corner somewhere. If you initially miss it you could have 100+ ants living inside the house before you know it. 

Outdoors they love to make colonies into plant containers. They go into the container from below, through the holes, and soon there's a thousand eggs waiting to hatch in the bottom of that container. I have killed a number of container colonies by pouring them over with boiling water. Inhuman, I know, but I hate these creatures and they just keep coming back over and over again. 

I have had success with pyrethrin powders. It is fast-acting and very effective, but you have to apply several times usually. Obviously rain will wash it away, so you have to reapply when it's been raining. If they're attracted to a specific plant, you can just dust the powder on the base of the plant all around it, so that the ants have to pass through the powder. I've used it on a number of my palms and other tropical plants and it doesn't seem to affect plants in any way.

If I never took any action against ants, my house would be filled with them right now, and all my plant containers would have their own individual colony. So yeah, these things need to be dealt with.

[Silas_Sancona]

I chuckle a little when folks get a little too " antsy "  over ants..

Have -at least- six sps, inc. our native Southern Black Fire Ants that sting in my yard.  Other folks here can see upwards of 10 / 10+ different species roam their gardens, depending on the time of year / location.   i do absolutely nothing, except encourage all the critters that eat them to eat more.. 

Better to let nature take the lead in handling pest issues than spray toxic s.... everywhere and throw everything out of whack  ..which, more often than not,  leads to far worse problems,  ...like killing the critters that control ants,  among all sorts of other insects you want around.  Well, should want around  ...if you actually desire a landscape that is healthy..

As for all my potted stuff?? ..Screens, over the drain holes keep em' ( ..and the Sand Roaches ) out.

If you have to treat for them,  know your ant groups,  ..Yes, Ants are divided into groups,  based on their preferred food source(s)..  Bait for the wrong group and you'll get nowhere..   Bait correctly ...and as minimally / far from where the ant eaters  can access the bait / baited ants   as possible.


 

[meridannight]

On 9/25/2024 at 3:23 PM, Harry’s Palms said:

I do spray around door thresholds and windows every few months because when the weather turns warm or if it rains they want to come in the house! Harry

Shouldn't it be in the reverse? Shouldn't they want to come indoors once it starts getting cold outside? 

I mean, I know that's how ants behave, I just find it counterintuitive.